Micromechanical components are used in different industrial applications. Among other things, micromechanically manufactured components having mass-spring systems, in which a deflectable mass structure is suspended with the aid of spring elements with respect to a substrate, are known. Depending on the particular application, torsion springs or spiral springs are typically used as spring elements. Thus, spiral springs are often used in so-called inertial sensors such as acceleration sensors or yaw-rate sensors to achieve the deflection of the mass structure of the particular sensor required for the sensor functionality. The oscillation frequency of a spring-mass system depends, among other things, on the elastic properties of the spring used, which, in the case of a spiral spring, are to a significant degree determined by the length of the corresponding spiral spring. Thus, long spiral springs are suitable for a relatively soft suspension, for example, and, at the same time, for a relatively great deflection of the mass structure. To install long spiral springs in the best possible compact manner, meandering-folded spiral springs are used. By folding the spiral spring, multiple folding sections are obtained, each of which has two spring legs parallel to each other and connected at their ends with the aid of a connecting bar. Since these folding sections themselves act as deflectable oscillating masses, in the event of appropriate excitation, undesirable interference modes may occur which interfere with the oscillation behavior of the overall system. In an inertial sensor, these interference modes may be excited particularly easily by the evaluation circuit, if the resonant frequencies of the interference modes coincide with the frequencies at which voltage pulses and thus also force pulses are generated by the evaluation circuit. If, in such a case, no sufficient damping of the interference modes occurs, the interference mode amplitude may reach such a magnitude that the oscillating ends of the spiral spring folding sections hit the substrate. This, in turn, results in a malfunction of the sensor, which is noticeable, for example, by a higher noise level.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to increase the damping of the interference modes of a meandering-folded spiral spring and thus to reduce the risk of excitation of the interference modes during operation of the micromechanical component.